WriteOn! Volunteers

I-Chia Chiu

I-Chia Chiu found Pat Schneider’s writing through a chain of friendships and now feels great joy connecting with her AWA community from Taiwan. Nourished by the practice of playwriting (MFA in Playwriting, University of Texas at Austin), Chiu writes to invite playful and meditative reflections on difficult conversations, language, and nature. As English is not her first language, she may sometimes choose words that don’t fit standard English grammar during facilitation. A newly certified AWA facilitator, she wants to invite you to contemplate this quote from Nayyirah Waheed with her:

“remember, / you were a writer / before / you ever / put / pen to paper. / just because you were not writing / externally / does not mean you were not writing / internally.”
Hosting: Tue, Nov 18 – 07:30 AM New York

Joyce Cohen

Joyce Cohen BFA, PPCC, is a certified life coach, artist, and writer who leads expressive writing workshops that foster self-discovery, healing, and personal well-being. She is deeply inspired by the creative spirit we all share and fascinated by the power of artistic expression to transform and enhance lives.
Hosting: Mon, Nov 17 – 07:30 AM Los Angeles  /  Fri, Nov 28 – 07:30 AM New York

Alexis M. Collazo

Alexis M. Collazo is a Brooklyn bred writer, now living in Pennsylvania. She writes in a variety of forms and genres inspired by a wide range of interest including horror, music, and other creative arts. Her poetry has appeared in Common Unity: An anthology, Gnashing Teeth’s Making Room Zine, and Trashlight Press. She is the pdf designer and a reader for Painted Pebble Lit Mag. In August of 2021, she was certified as an Amherst Writers & Artists workshop facilitator and has offered a variety of online workshops including Tarot Tuesdays, Poetry As Spiritual Practice, the Creative Chaos Workshop and more. For upcoming events and additional resources, visit CreativeChaosWorkshop.com.
Hosting: Fri, Nov 07 & Fri, Nov 14 – 07:30 AM Los Angeles

Matthew Curlewis

When not leading WriteNow sessions, or sitting on the board of AWA, or co-facilitating The Art of Loss: Writing Through Grief workshops with AWA, Matthew Curlewis can be found writing, or leading workshops under his own banner: Amsterdam Writers. There, his most popular workshop is Writers’ Stretch & Tone – a sortof “daily dance class for writers” that is all about honing our craft, in ways that invite playful exploration. Matthew’s stories, essays and poems can be read across a variety of media, and in 2026 will be available in the book “It Makes No Sense Not To Sit Next To Someone Warm Tonight – love, loss & laughter in words,” forthcoming from Storyhouse Works. You can also find him on Substack at Bright Side Writings.

“Matthew knows his stuff. He is a literary machine. In fact he is the embodiment of ChatGPT. He keeps up with every discussion and doesn’t miss a beat. He is VERY generous with his feedback and offers really clear responses to people’s creative flows, no matter how raw or divergent. I think his eclectic gypsy life (one of my fellow students whispered that he is actually 350 years old), has afforded him heaps of worldly observations which reveal themselves through wit, insight, playfulness and big picture thinking.” – Mathew Bergan, author of the forthcoming collection “Darling It Hurts” – queer short stories of resistance, resilience and survival from Darlinghurst, Sydney.
Hosting: Mon, Nov 03 – Fri, Nov 07 and Mon, Nov 17 – Fri, Nov 21 – 07:30 AM Amsterdam

Jeannette Eaton

Jeannette Eaton, www.papertrailwriters.com, trained as an AWA facilitator in 2018 and fell in love with the work and mission of AWA. Jeannette leads creative writing workshops online and in person where she lives with her family in western MA. When she first joined groups as a young adult, Jeannette learned a lot about doubt and butterflies in her stomach whenever she wanted to speak or share. With over 20 years of experience facilitating groups, Jeannette now brings a deep love of facilitation and joy to her work in community with others. Jeannette supports writers in softening their grip on perfection and in trusting their voices. She is also a mindfulness meditation teacher and practitioner and is grateful for the chance to learn and grow with the practice and study of writing and meditation.
Hosting: Wed, Nov 5 – 07:30 AM Tokyo

Greta Ehrig

Greta Ehrig earned an MFA in Creative Writing from American University, where she served as Editor of Folio literary journal and was a Lannan Fellow.  Her poetry and translations have been published in numerous journals and anthologies, such as: Beltway Quarterly; Mid-Atlantic Review; Southern Poetry Review; Allegro; Riding Light Review; Delos; Ekphrastic Review; Blessed Bi Spirit: Bisexual People of Faith; and Louisiana Literature, where she was named a semi-finalist in their 1999 poetry contest.  Her short plays have received staged readings at College Park Arts Exchange and Theater J in DC.  Her songwriting has been recognized by the Bernard-Ebb and Mid-Atlantic Song Contests.  And she has performed on stages from the Baltimore Book Festival to the Boulder Museum of Art.  In addition, Greta’s work has received support from: the Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County, MD; the Maryland State Arts Council; and the National League of American Pen Women.  She has been nominated for Best of the Net and for a Pushcart Prize in Poetry. She is a certified Amherst Writers & Artists (AWA) Affiliate and teaches piano, songwriting, and other creative writing, online and in person.
Hosting: Wed, Nov 19 – 07:30 AM Los Angeles

Teresa Burns Gunther

Teresa is an award-winning author whose fiction and nonfiction are published widely in US and international literary journals and anthologies. Her story collection “Hold Off The Night,” published June 2023, was a Finalist for the Orison, and the Hudson Book Prize. Her new collection, “The Adjacent Possible”—longlisted for the Dzanc Book Prize—is forthcoming from Cornerstone Press in 2026. Her work has been recognized in many other contests, awarded the 2023 Gemini Short Story Prize and the 2022 New Millennium Award for Fiction and most recently finalist for Uncharted Magazine’s 2025 Humor Challenge. Teresa is the founder of Lakeshore Writers Workshop, founded in 2004 where she leads generative and revision workshops and offers coaching and editing services. https://www.teresaburngunther.com

Bibi Hamblin

Bibi Hamblin is a certified workshop leader in the Amherst Writers & Artists Method created by the writer Pat Schneider. She facilitates creative writing following this method to English Language learners – from young teens to adults.

Her online creative writing workshops are open to everyone whatever their writing experience, and focus on giving all writers the permission to play and use their imagination to tell the stories they want to tell.
Hosting: Wed, Nov 12 – 07:30 AM New York

Nzima Hutchings

Nzima Hutchings is an award-winning poet, bestselling author, and literary arts wellness coach with over 17 years of experience leading transformational workshops that merge creativity and healing. She currently serves as the Enfield Poet Laureate (2023–2026) and the Connecticut Council of Poets Laureate Northern Region Representative.

A Certified Recovery Support Specialist, Sexual Crisis Counselor, and Certified Amherst Writers & Artists (AWA) facilitator, Nzima has worked with Toivo and Advocacy Unlimited since 2020, facilitating workshops in the community at Ability Beyond, Wheeler, and in elementary schools through Hartford Performs. She is also the visionary of the Hartford Book Festival and the host and producer of Nzima’s Poetry Café Show.

Nzima is the founder of Every Kinda Lady LLC, a platform dedicated to helping women heal and reclaim their narratives through expressive writing, journaling, and poetic art. She has been honored to have written a self-guided Writing to Heal workbook for the Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence, used in nine locations across the state. Her work continues to inspire healing, creativity, and empowerment through the transformative power of writing. New Bestselling Book published (September 2025)Eerie Lyrical Poetry and Prose.
Hosting: Mon, Nov 24 – 07:30 AM New York

Susan Josephs

Susan Josephs has been writing in AWA workshops since 1996 and became a certified facilitator in 2023. She is the founder and facilitator of Creative Sphere Writers Workshop, which offers weekly AWA workshops via Zoom with choice of series or drop-in attendance, as well as coaching and developmental editing on ongoing writing projects. She proudly lives in and writes from the historic city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. To find out more about Susan and Creative Sphere Writers Workshop, please visit www.creativespherewritersworkshop.com.
Hosting: Tue, Nov 4 & Tue, Nov 18 – 07:30 AM Los Angeles

Desiree Kannel

Desiree Kannel is the founder of Rose Writers Workshops and leads AWA sessions online. She also tutors school age youth and coaches adult writers working on a novel or short stories. Desiree is the author of Lucky John (2020) and the Delany Bennets (2023). Her short stories have appeared online and she is currently working on her third novel.
Hosting: Wed, Nov 12 & Thu, Nov 13 – 07:30 AM Amsterdam

Barbara Krasner

Barbara Krasner, MFA, PhD, is the author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry that have been featured in more than seventy literary journals, earning her Best of the Net, Best Microfictions, and Pushcart Prize nominations. She lives and teaches in New Jersey.
Hosting: Wed, Nov 26 & Sat, Nov 29 – 07:30 AM Tokyo

Kimberly Lee

Kimberly Lee, JD, is the author of the captivating thriller, Have You Seen Him. A versatile writer, workshop facilitator, and editor, she has a passion for nurturing the imaginative spirit and helping others reveal their creative gifts. Kimberly holds degrees from Stanford University and UC Davis School of Law, along with certifications from Amherst Writers & Artists, SoulCollage®, Guided Autobiography, the Center for Journal Therapy, and the Center for Intentional Creativity. Recent collaborations include Esalen Institute, Hollyhock Retreat Center, Omega Institute, The Huntington, and West LA Veterans Administration. Kimberly’s stories and essays have appeared in numerous publications and anthologies, and she has served on the staffs of Literary Mama, F(r)iction, and Carve magazines. She lives in Southern California with her husband and three children.
Hosting: Wed, Nov 19, Fri, Nov 21 & Sat, Nov 22 – 07:30 AM Tokyo

Jayelle Lindsay

Jayelle is a poet and memoirist. She has been an AWA facilitator since 2015. She has written two collections of poetry – Tangible Evidence and most recently Dreaming of Ed Sullivan. She is an enthusiastic ‘pyjama writer’ and is currently designing Writing from the Body classes for the new year.
Hosting: Mondays, Nov 3, 10 & 17 – 07:30 AM New York

Melissa Lombardo

Melissa B. Lombardo, founder of Write, Heal, Thrive® LLC, is a bilingual (English-Spanish) AWA Affiliate, trauma-responsive author, and bilingual crisis advocate. She offers Amherst Writers & Artists (AWA) workshops grounded in safety, confidentiality, and honoring every voice, along with other creative and healing workshops that inspire reflection, growth, and connection. In addition, Melissa provides publishing mentorships for authorpreneurs who choose to write, share, and publish their own heart-centered stories. A lifelong writer, speaker, and advocate she empowers others to reclaim their voices, rewrite their narratives, and thrive in community. Connect with Melissa: melissablombardo.com / writehealthrive.com
Hosting: Wed, Nov 19 & Wed, Nov 26 – 07:30 AM New York

Lori Lux

I live in the Midwest with my huge family and have always been a writer. As a child, I fervently wrote and told anyone who listened that I wanted to be an author when I grew up. By day, I’m a social worker, by night I’m a mom, wife and creator. My website is forthcoming, but in the meantime I’m excited to write together. Stay tuned for workshops and writing groups, hopefully by early 2026!
Hosting: Wed, Nov 12 – 07:30 AM Tokyo

Stefanie Marek

Stefanie is a Munich-based linguist who has been working as a consultant and trainer for professional writing and communication in the workplace for more than 20 years. She is currently completing her PHD-project, ‘User-Centred Writing at Work,’ in which she is developing a curriculum for professional writing. She offers ‘WriteNow!’ sessions to write her own texts and opens the class to anyone interested in the AWA method. She speaks German, English and Dutch and moderates the sessions in English, providing a visual stimulus each morning. During the session, everyone can write in the language they feel most comfortable with.
Hosting: Mon, Nov 24 – Fri, Nov 28 – 07:30 AM Amsterdam

Kate Marshall Flaherty

Kate Marshall Flaherty guides StillPoint Writing and Poetry Editing Circles online. She writes spontaneous “Poems of the Extraordinary Moment” (P.O.E.M.s) online. See her books, performance poetry and testimonials at https://katemarshallflaherty.ca
Hosting: Tuesdays, Nov 4, 11 & 25 – 07:30 AM New York

Isabella Moreno

Isabella Moreno is a Nuyorican from The Bronx writing and blossoming in Cleveland, Ohio. She is the founder of Illuminating Our Voices. For 15+ years she has curated workshops for POC/BIPOC communities. Her writing has been included in: Cleveland Humanities Festival, Boundaries & Borders, Peregrine and Azahares. She is a 2024-2025 Breakthrough Writing Resident with Literary Cleveland. She has honed her writing skills with: Bronx Council on the Arts, Cave Canem, Latina Fifty-Plus, Literary Cleveland, VONA (Voices of Our Nations Art), the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College, WOC (Women of Color) Writers and others. She is an Amherst Writers & Artists (AWA) certified facilitator and affiliate. She has been engaged with the AWA methodology and philosophy since 1999. She has 30 years experience in education from K-12 teaching to non-profit management and college administration. She believes joy can always be found in collective spaces of shared creation.
Hosting: Wednesdays, Nov 5, 12, & 26 – 07:30 AM Tokyo

Pennie Nichols

Pennie A. Nichols is a Louisiana-based author of literary fiction whose novels and stories explore the intersections of identity, community, and connection. Alongside her own writing, she facilitates in-person workshops, meetups, and retreats that help writers tap into their creative flow. Recently certified as an Amherst Writers & Artists affiliate, she plans to offer online InkWell WordShops and Draft and Craft series. A regular contender in flash fiction and poetry contests, Pennie is passionate about fostering safe spaces for creative expression.
Hosting: Fri, Nov 14 & Sat, Nov 15 & Thu, Nov 20 – 07:30 AM Tokyo

Sue Reynolds

Sue Reynolds has been leading free Pyjama Writing sessions (very similar to WriteOn! sessions) every weekday at 7:30 am (EST) for almost 5 years now. Passionate about the method, she also facilitates a number of other AWA method writing workshops – single sessions and multi-week series. Her primary focus is working with writers interested in memoir — she loves the way that work intersects with her other identity as a psychotherapist.
Hosting: Tue, Nov 25 & Fri, Nov 28 – 07:30 AM Los Angeles

Karen Rosenberg

Karen holds a PhD in women’s studies from the University of Washington. After completing her doctorate, Karen directed a university writing center where she coached writers, taught writing classes, and designed programs to support student and faculty writers. 

Karen’s pandemic highlight was training to become a workshop facilitator with Amherst Writers & Artists. She fell in love with AWA’s approach to writing and facilitating. Her pilot workshop, originally designed to run for six weeks, is now in its fourth year and going strong! Karen’s approach is both pragmatic and compassionate and she has deep respect for writers and their unique journeys.

Karen grew up in New York City and spent most of her adult life in Seattle. She recently relocated to Hamilton, Ontario with her Canadian husband and two kids. She loves exploring her new home on foot and bicycle but is still getting used to life in kilometers and Celsius.
Hosting: Thursdays, Nov 6, 13, 20 & 27 – 07:30 AM New York

Beverly Sce

Beverly Sce retired after an extensive career in public health and academia. As a trained AWA facilitator since 2016, she teaches and facilitates workshops in a variety of settings. She served in the U.S. military during Desert Storm/Desert Shield. Beverly holds a Ph.D and has studied Creative Non-Fiction at Converse and Spalding Universities. She recognizes the healing power of writing and her work has been published in book anthologies and magazines. She is an avid reader and quilter and passionate about helping people accomplish their writing goals. Beverly lives with her husband Doug and their rescue German Shepard, Sticks, Professor Emeritus at Barque College.

Ashley Schein

Ashley Schein is a mother, writer, and writing workshop facilitator living in Los Angeles with her husband and two young children. Ashley was trained as an Amherst Writers & Artists facilitator in February 2022 and leads workshops with adults, high school students, and at corporations. She also writes birth stories with mothers. Ashley serves on AWA’s Board of Directors and is the current Chair of the Marketing & Communications Committee. Before becoming a mother, Ashley spent 16 years as a copywriter working on brands such as Audi, eBay, Intel, Google, and Target, among others. She has taught at the University of Colorado and at Miami Ad School. You can find her writing workshops at wildwrites.co.
Hosting: Mon, Nov 3 – 07:30 AM Los Angeles

Mae Stewart

When life in the city hands you lemons, write about it! 

Writing is forever my first love. Photography, herbalism, and fiber arts all came after the thrill of that first short story written in first grade. Join me at Urban Lemonade, and we’ll squeeze life’s lemons over ice with a sprig of mint.
Hosting: Mon, Nov 24 & Wed, Nov 26 – 07:30 AM Los Angeles

Diane Tower-Jones

Diane Tower-Jones is a writer, healer, and accredited Amherst Writers & Artists facilitator who leads weekly workshops online and in the UK; she is known for creating safe, generative spaces in which authentic voices emerge.

Diane’s own path has always straddled creativity and healing, from performing arts and documentary filmmaking to acupuncture and trauma-informed guidance. She believes writing is a powerful confluence of these worlds: a way to unearth one’s authentic voice, connect with others, and experience creativity as deeply restorative. Her workshops weave together attentiveness, safety, and a touch of magic.
Hosting: Fri, Nov 14 & 21 – 07:30 AM New York, Mon, Nov 17 – 07:30 AM Los Angeles

Nathalie Valley

Nathalie Valley is a trained writing workshop leader, certified in the Amherst Writers & Artists method. Her writing focuses on the effects of childhood trauma on individuation and free will. She is a 2024 MFA graduate of Bay Path University and is working on a memoir about her time in the U.S. Coast Guard. She lives near Pensacola, Florida with her partner and two senior dogs.
Hosting: Fri, Nov 21 – 07:30 AM New York

Susan (Deepam) Wadds

Winner of the 2024 Canadian Book Club Award and 2024 Indies finalist for her novel, “What the Living Do,” and the 2016 Writers Union of Canada’s Prose Contest, Susan Wadds’ work has appeared in various publications, including carteblanche, The Blood Pudding, Room, and Waterwheel Review. A graduate of the Humber School for Writers and a proud member of The Writers Union of Canada and The Canadian Authors Association, Susan is a certified Amherst Writers and Artists (AWA) workshop facilitator. She grew up in Montreal, Toronto, and London Ontario, and has lived in British Columbia, India, France, and Italy. She’s sort of settled down and currently lives on a quiet river on Williams Treaty land in traditional Anishinaabe territory with an odd assortment of humans and cats. https://writeyourwayin.ca/
Hosting: Wed, Nov 5 & Thu, Nov 20 & Thu, Nov 27 – 07:30 AM Los Angeles

Gwynn Wills

After a forty-year career serving children with communication disorders, Gwynn retired and, at her daughter’s urging, became a certified Amherst Writers & Artists leader. She has conducted numerous workshops in an array of venues since her certification in 2021 and is the founder of Calliope Writers Group.

Gwynn was the recipient of a Lilly Creative Fellowship Grant to pursue her love of poetry and has been published in Months to Years online journal and The New Platypus Review. She has taken part in writing workshops at Fishtrap Summer Program near Spokane, WA, Indiana University Summer Writers Institute, Indiana Writers Center, and Lafayette Writers Studio.

Gwynn currently leads five writing groups in her hometown: QWERTY Group, which is geared toward members of the LGBTQIA2S community, Recovery Rec Writers for individuals going through recovery from addictions, Indiana Youth Group Poetry Workshop, Calliope Writers Group, an informal monthly group for those who need to practice their craft, and Roots and Reflections Memoir Group.
Hosting: Thu, Nov 6 & Thu, Nov 13 – 07:30 AM Los Angeles

Susie Whelehan

Susie Whelehan believes that words and rhythm are medicine covered by God’s Socialist Health Care Plan for Humanity. A member of the League of Canadian Poets, her poetry collection, “The Sky Laughs at Borders”, was published by Piquant Press in 2019. Her poetry placed first in the Canadian Church Press Awards, second in the Lake Scugog Ekphrastic Contest, and she was a runner-up in CBC’s Canada Writes. Her prose has been published by Novalis, Random House, The Globe and Mail and The Toronto Star. Susie led courses at the Haliburton School of the Arts for two summers. She recently co-facilitated workshops for the School of Continuing Studies, Univ. of Toronto in “Poetry, Prayer and the Political Moment” and “Writing as a Spiritual Practice.”
Hosting: Wed, Nov 12 – 07:30 AM Los Angeles

Susan Wingert

Susan Wingert (Ph.D.) is a sociologist, editor, researcher, writer, and mom. She received her doctorate in sociology from Western University and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in family studies from the University of Manitoba. She works with the Alan Klass Program in Health and Humanities at the University of Manitoba. As an AWA facilitator, she has worked with health professionals, medical students and residents, cancer patients, caregivers, parents, and middle schoolers. She is a member of the AWA Board of Directors, and the Power of Story, Caregiver Project, and Write Around the World committees. She lives in Winnipeg.
Hosting: Mon, Nov 10 – 07:30 AM Los Angeles

Mary Jo Zimmer

Reitired Corporate Communications Executive, widowed, step mother and grandmother. In addition to being an AWA Affilliate, I am trained in Gestalt, Integrative Nutrition, Soul Collage, HeartMath, and am an amateur artist. I avocationally dabble in the language of the stars astrology, metaphysical studies, mysticism, yoga, the regenerative movement, knitting, and plant based cooking. I am a Benedictine Oblate, love nature in all ways, am an avid walker and hiker, and love small dogs. The direction of my engagement with writing, words, lettering and illumination is opening new doors and pathways.
Hosting: Tue, Nov 5 & 25 – 07:30 AM Tokyo